Polpettine in brodo con pastina.
Italians do not usually put their meatballs in pasta. Meatballs with pasta are only an Italian-American recipe and not an Italian one. Only polpettine (mini meatballs) cooked in broth can be accompanied with pastina, mini pasta.
This is a delicious and unique dish, it reminds me of my childhood when my mom or my grandmother prepared it. Many memories! I still prepare it now and it is a real delicacy, which my children really like, in fact, if you are looking for an infallible dish to make if your child is a picky eater, you are in the right place.
Many people use meat broth but my grandmother and my mother taught me that polpettine in brodo is made with vegetable broth.
How is my grandma’s and mom’s broth made?
Vegetable broth is one of the simplest and fastest cooking bases that must always be prepared in an artisanal way.
However, you need to follow very precise rules such as using cold water and a tall pot. You also have to start at a high flame at the beginning until it starts boiling, etc.
The base of this vegetable recipe is celery, carrots, an onion cut into 4 parts, bay leaves, cloves, and 2 tomatoes.
I’ve been wanting to post this dish for a long time, but being a hot dish that is eaten especially in winter to warm you from the freezing cold, I was a bit afraid if people wanted to try it out because it is still summer and the heat is out of control.
But I decided to anyway because I am very sure that polpettine in brodo with pastina is not only a feast for children but also for adults.
Polpettine in brodo with pastina (meatballs in soup with pastina)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 200 g pastina 7 oz
Vegetable Broth
- 2 – 3 liters of water 8-12 cups
- 2 red tomatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 stalk of parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves
- Salt and pepper optional
Polpettine (mini Meatballs)
- 500 g minced meat lean and half fat 17.6 oz
- 2 eggs
- 60 g pecorino cheese 4 tbsp
- salt and pepper
- a small minced clove of garlic
- chopped parsley
- bread crumb as required
Instructions
- Vegetable brothWash the vegetables and cut them into coarse chunks, with the exception of the tomatoes, which you will remove from the stalks and leave whole.
- Also, use some celery leaves.
- Transfer everything to a large saucepan together with the bay leaves and cloves.
- Cover with 3 liters of cold water and place on the stove.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook covered for 1 hour and a half.
- Filter everything and add salt.
- The vegetable broth is now ready to be used.
- Polpettine (mini Meatballs)Put in a bowl: meat, eggs, pecorino cheese, salt, pepper,
garlic, and parsley. Then mix well. - Shape into small meatballs and set them aside.
AssemblingPut the vegetable broth back on the heat, bring to a boil and put the meatballs inside of the broth, cook for about 3 minutes, and put the pastina in the broth.- Cook pasta until cooked (following the instructions that the pasta box has).
- Serve and be careful not to burn yourself!
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